Shattuck-St. Mary's Welcomes Back Sarah Murray '06 to Lead Girls U19 Team

Sarah joins the Sabres after spending the last four seasons at the helm of the St. Mary’s University women’s hockey program in nearby Winona, Minn. Under Sarah’s tutelage, the Cardinals finished third in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and advanced to the conference playoffs in 2021-22. That same year, Sarah led St. Mary’s to the most wins in a single season since 2003-04. 

Prior to St. Mary’s, Sarah spent four years as the head coach of the South Korean National Team including leading the Unified Korean National Team at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. 

“Sarah has intentionally chosen to dedicate her professional life to developing female hockey players,” said Gordie Stafford, Director of Girls Hockey. “We are so proud that she is coming ‘home’ to SSM, to help build on the tradition of excellence of which she has been a meaningful participant, first as a player and now as a mentor for the next generation.”

Sarah is no stranger to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, as she is a 2006 graduate of SSM. She played seven seasons for the Sabres, capping off her career with back-to-back National Championships in 2005 and 2006.

“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Sarah Murray ‘06 back to SSM,” stated Director of Hockey, Ben Umhoefer ’05. “Her outstanding character, natural leadership abilities, passion, drive, and deep care for SSM will serve our players and program extremely well. Coach Murray has played and coached at the highest levels of hockey. She is a fantastic addition to our staff. We remain committed to arming our program with the very best coaches to continue our tradition of excellence.”

“Words cannot express how excited I am to be returning to Shattuck-St. Mary’s as a coach for the upcoming season,” exclaimed Murray. “It feels like I’m coming home. I loved my time at Shattuck as a student-athlete and cannot wait to share my knowledge and experience to help develop not only great hockey players but great people. SSM is the perfect blend of first-class coaches, teachers, and student-athletes all striving towards excellence. I cannot wait to get started.”

After graduating from SSM, Sarah enjoyed a storied playing career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where she won two NCAA Division I National Championships. She was a four-time WCHA All-Academic Team selection with the Bulldogs, and she currently ranks fourth in program history in consecutive games played (119) and ninth in total games played (153). Following her stint in Duluth, she went on to play professionally in Switzerland for three seasons.

To learn more about Shattuck-St. Mary’s Girls Hockey Center of Excellence, please visit SSM Girls Hockey. Girls interested in joining the program can express their interest by filling out an inquiry form here.

About Shattuck-St. Mary’s School

Shattuck-St. Mary’s School is a world-class college preparatory boarding and day school for students in grades 6-PG located in Faribault, Minnesota. SSM delivers a rigorous academic curriculum that blends the best of traditional education with innovative, creative learning opportunities for students around the world who want to pursue their passions in academics, the arts, or athletics. Discover more at s-sm.org.